Liberator

Consolidated B-24E wrecked July 5, 1943, San Miguel Island

Monument dedication July 5, 2018.

LIBERATOR Consolidated B-24 E #42-7180 crashed on San Miguel Island's Green Mountain on July 5, 1943, killing all twelve men aboard. The site was not located until March 19, 1944. The bomber had been dispatched to find a missing B-24 that was later found 10 miles inland from Santa Barbara. All personnel were members of the 2nd Air Force, 34th Bomb Group, 7th Bomb Squadron stationed at Salinas Army Air Base, Salinas, California. The remains of the crew were [allegedly] returned to their next of kin. The eight officers and four enlisted men were:

• Vernon Stevens
  
• Doug Thornburg
  
• Floyd Hart
  
• Justin Marshall
  
• Bose Gorman
  
• Noah H. Yost
  
• Bernard Littman
  
• Ralph Masterson
  
• Lyle Frost
  
• Walter Eisenbarth
  
• Lee Salzer
  
• Henry Bair

LETTERS WRITTEN BY 7 OF THE MOTHERS WHEN THEY WERE NOTIFIED THE CRASH SITE HAD BEEN FOUND

April 1944 Letter written by Walter Eisenbarth's mother #1.
May 1944 Letter written by Walter Eisenbarth's mother #2.

April 1944 Letter written by Lyle Frost's mother.

April 1944 Letter written by Bose Gorman's mother.

April 1944 Letter written by Floyd Hart's mother #1.
April 1944 Letter written by Floyd Hart's mother #2.
April 1944 Letter written by Floyd Hart's fiance.

April 1944 Letter written by Ralph Masterson's mother.

April 1944 Letter written by Lee Salzer's mother.

April 1944 Letter written by Noah H. Yost's father.

MEMORIAL DEDICATION ON KEYT NEWS

In the News~

July 13, 1943 [Santa Cruz Sentinel]: “Bomber From Salinas Missing In Flight Over Ocean. Salinas, July 12 —The Salinas army air base disclosed today that a heavy bomber with 12 officers and men has been missing since July 5 on a flight over the Pacific ocean. The air base list of the men who were on the plane included:

• First Lieut. Douglas Thornburg of Casa Grande, Ariz.
• Second Lieut. Floyd P. Hart of Bakersfield, Calif.
• Second Lieut. Noah H. Yost; wife, Salinas.
• Second Lieut. Bose Gorman; wife, Salinas.
• Second Lieut. Justin M. Marshall; wife, Salinas.
• Flight Officer Vernon C. Stevens; wife, Salinas.
• Staff Sgt. Bernard Littman, Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Staff Sgt. Ralph S. Masterson, Voth, Tex.
• Staff Sgt. Lyle L. Frost, Mountain, Wis.
• Staff Sgt. Walter B. Eisenbarth, Route 1, Hazelton, N. D.
• Staff Sgt. Lee E. Salzer, Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Pvt. Henry L. Blair [sic], LaTrobe, Pa.

March 21, 1944 [Santa Cruz Sentinel]: “12 Killed in Army Bomber Crash. Santa Maria, Cal. March 20 — Wreckage of an army bomber missing since last July has been discovered on San Miguel Island in the Santa Barbara channel with 12 bodies aboard, Santa Maria army air field officials reported today.”

March 21, 1944 [San Bernardino Sun]: “Plane wreckage Found on San Miguel Island. Santa Maria, March 20 — Wreckage of an Army bomber missing since last July has been discovered on San Miguel Island in the Santa Barbara channel with 12 bodies.”

October 2, 1954 [LAT]: “Air Force Seeks Names in 1943 Crash On Island. A special Air Force identification team flew by helicopter to lonely San Miguel Island off Santa Barbara yesterday to undertake the grim task of identifying the remains of 12 crewmen killed in the crash of a Liberator bomber July 5, 1943. The World War II wreckage, more than 11 years old, was discovered several days ago and has been definitely identified as that of B-24 No. 27180 that took off from Salinas Air Force Base with eight officers and four enlisted men. Last Report. It was last reported two hours later near Santa Barbara and apparently the pilot attempted to crash land the Liberator on the grassy tableland of the island some 60 miles off the California coast. Robert W. Ralston and George J. Schwanderer were assigned out of Air Material Command headquarters (Memorial Affairs Branch) to attempt identification of the crew and return the bodies to the mainland for burial, according to Brig. Gen. Victor Bertrandias, Air Force Deputy inspector general, Norton Air Force Base, San Bernardino. Names of the dead were withheld pending identification and notification of next of kin. The 12 men had been listed as missing and presumably dead.”

October 3, 1954 [LAT]: “Plane crash 11 years ago linked to sea tragedy. Coast Guard cutter was en route to scene where 12 died when it collided with yacht. An 11-year-old plane crash on lonely San Miguel Island, which claimed 12 lives in 1943, yesterday contributed to a crash at sea which claimed two more. The Coast Guard cutter Morris, which collided with the yacht Aloha off Port Hueneme yesterday, was en route to San Miguel Island with a team of Air Force and civilian identification experts to search the scene where a B-24 Liberator bomber crashed with 12 crewman aboard on July 5, 1943. But two former Navy sailors yesterday told The Times that they knew of the bomber crash in 1944 and helped recover bodies at the scene then. Friday, officials at Norton Air Force Base had termed the new discovery of the wreckage by a fisherman the “’first word’ of the missing bomber since it disappeared in 1943…”

June 17, 2018 [EdHat]: “MEMORIAL TO HONOR WWII AIRMEN WHO CRASHED ON SAN MIGUEL ISLAND. Seventy-five years after their plane crashed on San Miguel Island, 12 members of a U.S. Army Air Forces bomber squadron will be honored for the first time. The event, “Salute to San Miguel Island’s Lost Liberator,” will be held at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum on July 5th, 2018, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. The event is sponsored by the Santa Cruz Island Foundation, Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation, and the museum. Their heavy bomber, a B-24 Liberator, was lost on July 5, 1943, after being dispatched from Salinas Army Air Base to search for the “Eddie Rickenbacker,” a B-24 bomber that had gone missing a day earlier from a nighttime training mission off the coast of Santa Barbara. Believed to be flying in foggy conditions at a 500 foot altitude the search plane crashed into Green Mountain, a gently sloping 817-foot peak on San Miguel Island. The remains of the 12 airmen and the wreckage of the plane, which was scattered over an acre area, were not found until eight months later. The wreckage of the “Eddie Rickenbacker” was found inland, ten miles north of Santa Barbara, having crashed due to fuel shortage. The Rickenbacker crew parachuted prior to the crash, with eight members surviving. "Windy and exposed San Miguel Island, the westernmost of four northern Channel Islands, is often called the "Graveyard of Ships," said Marla Daily, President of the Santa Cruz Island Foundation. “But on July 5, 1943 it also became the graveyard of twelve men who gave their lives in service to our country, who until now, had never been recognized. It is an honor to bring their stories to life 75 years later." Flight crew of the 2nd Air Force, 34th Bomb Group, 7th Bomb Squadron being honored include Pilot Vernon C. Stevens, Command Pilot Douglas Thornburg, Copilot Floyd P. Hart, Bombardier Instructor Justin M. Marshall, Navigator Bose Gorman, Bombardier Noah H. Yost, Engineer Bernard Littman, Asst. Engineer Ralph S. Masterson, Radioman Lyle L. Frost, Gunner Walter O. Eisenbarth, Gunner Lee E. Salzer, and Asst. Radioman Henry L. Bair. "It’s important to remember these 12 men who perished in 1943 are part of the history of the Channel Islands,” said John W . Blankenship, Co-Founding Director of the Pierre Clayssens Veterans Foundation. “The mission of the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation is to honor all those who served so they are never forgotten." Executive Director Greg Gorga said, “The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum is honored to be a part of this project and to host this monument, honoring the brave men who lost their lives in defense of our country.” Active and retired military personnel and community members are invited to attend the memorial tribute and the unveiling of a new monument commissioned by the Santa Cruz Island Foundation. Bagpipe music will preview the ceremony starting at 3:30 pm.”

June 21, 2018 [Ventura Star]: “WWII airmen to be honored 75 years after plane crashed off Ventura. The Army Air Force B-24 Liberator went down on a remote island off Ventura on July 5, 1943. A day earlier, a B-24 bomber had gone missing during a nighttime training mission near Santa Barbara. The Liberator and its 12-man crew were dispatched to help with a search. It left Salinas Army Air Base and was flying at 500 feet off the coast when it, too, was lost. Eight months later, the wreckage was discovered. In fog, the plane had crashed into Green Mountain, an 817-foot peak on the wind-swept San Miguel Island, now part of Channel Islands National Park. “They were looking for another plane that had gone missing and yet they ended up being the ones to go missing,” said Marla Daily, president of the Santa Cruz Island Foundation, which has commissioned a monument for the men. Next month, the airmen will be honored for the first time. “These 12 airmen died in service to their country and until July 5 they have never been recognized,” Daily said. “They’ve never had a memorial.” The salute to the airmen will start at 4 p.m. July 5 at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. Organizers said active and retired military personnel and community members are invited. Organizers have located relatives and friends of most of the men, and 15 are expected to attend the ceremony, some flying in from out of state. “I think it’s an important story and important for the families ... to know they’re remembered,” said John Blankenship, co-founding director of the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation. The country was fighting World War II at the time of the crash. While the crew members weren’t killed over Germany, they were on a mission, he said. The flight crew of the 2nd Air Force, 34th Bomb Group, 7th Bomb Squadron included Vernon C. Stevens, pilot; Douglas Thornburg, command pilot; Floyd P. Hart, copilot; Justin M. Marshall, bombardier instructor; Bose Gorman, navigator; Noah H. Yost, bombardier; Bernard Littman, engineer; Ralph S. Masterson, assistant engineer; Lyle L. Frost, radioman; Walter O. Eisenbarth, gunner; Lee E. Salver, gunner; and Henry L. Bair, assistant radioman. Daily, who has been documenting Channel Islands history for decades, said she was able to find photographs for all of the men except Stevens. Then on Wednesday, she got an unexpected phone call from a chiropractor in Arizona. “We had been trying to contact relatives of the pilot and somehow word had trickled to him,” she said. He told her he was the godson of Stevens’ brother. He had heard about the memorial and asked if she would like to have a box of letters the airmen’s mothers had written to Stevens’ mother. “The mothers of all the other men who were killed were consoling the mother of the pilot,” Daily said. The idea for the monument came from another donation. About 25 years ago, a Santa Barbara man walked into Daily’s office and told her he had something he wanted to give the foundation. “It was a blade from the propeller of the B-24,” she said. It had sat on San Miguel for 25 years. In the late 1960s, the man and his father had sailed out to the island, not yet a national park, and found the blade while hiking. “They dragged it across the island and brought it back to their house,” Daily said. Years later, the father had died and the son brought the propeller to the foundation. Daily decided to design a monument around the blade. Plans call for it to be kept at the Santa Barbara museum until the foundation opens its own facility. During World War II, more than 7,100 military planes crashed on U.S. soil. Wreckage was found in remote areas, including dozens of sites now managed by the National Park Service. In addition to the Liberator lost on San Miguel, two crashes were reported during those years on or near Anacapa Island, also part of the Channel Islands park. “Salute to San Miguel Island’s Lost Liberator” will be held from 4-6 p.m. July 5 at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, 113 Harbor Way, Suite 190, in Santa Barbara. The ceremony, sponsored by the Santa Cruz Island Foundation, Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation, and the museum, will include an unveiling of a monument in memory of the airmen. Bagpipe music will begin at 3:30 p.m.”

June 26, 2018 [The Log]: “Fast Facts: San Miguel Island’s “Lost Liberator”. CHANNEL ISLANDS — One of the Channel Islands – San Miguel Island – was the site of a plane crash. The plane: a bomber belonging to the U.S. Army Air Forces. The B-24 Liberator was lost on July 5, 1943. She was dispatched out of Salinas Army Air Base that day to search for another B-24 – Eddie Rickenbacker – which went missing during a training mission off the Santa Barbara coast the previous evening. Foggy conditions apparently caused Liberator to crash into San Miguel Island’s Green Mountain. The mountain’s peak is 817 feet and Liberator was believed to be flying at a 500-foot altitude. Officials reportedly required eight months to recover wreckage of the plane – and the bodies of the 12 men aboard. Those 12 men will be honored on July 5 of this year – exactly 75 years after they crashed into Santa Miguel Island. Eddie Rickenbacker’s wreckage was eventually found on the mainland, 10 miles north of Santa Barbara. Fuel shortage reportedly caused the bomber’s crash. Her crew, according to a report, parachuted from the plane prior to the crash. Eight of the bomber’s airmen reportedly survived. Santa Barbara Maritime Museum will host an event commemorating the lost flight of Liberator. The “Salute to San Miguel Island’s Lost Liberator” event will be held July 5, 4-6 p.m., at the museum. Santa Cruz Island Foundation, Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation and the museum sponsor the event.”

July 2, 2018 [Independent]: “75-Year-Old San Miguel Island Military Crash Remembered. Santa Cruz Island Foundation Dedicates Memorial at Maritime Museum on July 5. Seventy-five years ago, on July 5, 1943, at 7:17 a.m., a B-24 Liberator bomber took off from Bakersfield with 12 servicemen onboard. They were searching for another B-24, called “the Eddie Rickenbacker,” that had gone missing a day earlier near Santa Barbara; the model, a contemporary report would admit, “was not regarded as the safest aircraft in the sky.” Around 8 a.m., the Liberator flew over S.B. but was never heard from again. Eight months later, in March 1944, the wreckage was found by shepherd Robert Brooks on the side of Green Mountain, the highest point on San Miguel Island. The next month, the victims’ remains were sent home unceremoniously and without much explanation — in one case, a casket sent to a grieving mother in North Dakota contained a uniform, some sand, and four teeth. “These men were never acknowledged,” said historian Marla Daily of the Santa Cruz Island Foundation. “There was just a tiny news article, and that’s it — no accolades or thanks.” Daily is changing that on July 5 at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum by unveiling a memorial to the 12 men who died: Douglas Thornburg (who’d survived another B-24 crash less than a month earlier), Floyd P. Hart, Noah H. Yost, Bose Gorman, Justin M. Marshall, Vernon C. Stevens, Bernard Littman, Ralph S. Masterson, Lyle L. Frost, Walter Eisenbarth, Lee E. Salzer, and Henry L. Bair. The granite, 10-foot-tall memorial — which features a twisted propeller scavenged from the wreckage in the 1960s — will eventually move to its permanent home at the Channel Islands Center in Ventura once that museum is built. Though it will never be clear exactly what happened, a crash report suggests that the Liberator smashed directly into the mountain during heavy cloud cover, indicating that the crew probably didn’t see the ground coming. They were likely turning toward Point Conception at the time, headed back to their base in Salinas. “The Eddie Rickenbacker,” it turned out, had crashed the previous day about 10 miles north of Santa Barbara after running out of fuel; two of its crew were lost at sea when they leaped out with parachutes too early, but eight others survived. Daily is expecting at least 17 family members related to the victims to attend the dedication on Thursday, which will give some closure to the 75-year-old tragedy. She thinks more should be done to honor the men. “The Park Service and the Navy, which owns San Miguel Island, should have an archaeological site inspection to look for the other dog tags and the additional human remains,” she said. “That’s my opinion. It’s a huge chunk of Channel Islands history that nobody knows about.”